After 43 years, father's gift returned to man

Man says sword given by his father lost for decades

A Deering, N.H., man was reunited Tuesday with a gift his father gave him in 1969 when he became an officer in the Marines.

It was a sword, and Jim Cowan last saw it 43 years ago when he packed up his belongings before he was shipped to Vietnam.

Before heading to Vietnam, Cowan moved his family from North Carolina into his parents' house in Massachusetts. His belongings, including a sword he received from his father, were put into storage.

"That was the last time I saw the sword," Cowan said.

Cowan said he assumed the sword had been stolen, and over the past 43 years, he came to the conclusion that he would never see it again.

But Joseph Gordon said he came upon the sword eight years ago. He said a man approached him in a VFW parking lot in Billerica and said he was seeking a loan. The man offered the sword as collateral, Gordon said.

"I gave him all my information, told him I'd put it in my gun safe, and when you want it back, just give me a call," Gordon said.

But Gordon never saw the man again, and the sword stayed in his safe. Eventually, he reached out to his friend, Marine Rob McGann, to help him return the sword to the man whose name was inscribed on it -- Jim Cowan.

After a number of failed attempts, McGann finally found Cowan's phone number.